Means for regulating marine clocks froi



(No Model.) G. W. MILLARD & J. H. CLARKE.

MEANS FOR REGULATING MARINE CLOCKS FROM A DISTANCE.. No. 337,418. Patented Mar. 9, 1886.

WITNESSES- INVENTUR'S.

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UNITED 'rnrns PATENT GEORGE XV. MILLARD, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, AND JOSEPH H. CLARKE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO THE SYNOHEO- NOUS TIME COMPANY OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

MEANS FOR REGULATlNG MARINE CLOCKS FROM A DESTANCEB SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,418, dated h larch 9, 1886.

Application filed February 2, 1885. Serial No. 154,702. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. MILLARD, of the city and county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, and J osErn H. CLARKE, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have jointly invented a new and useful Improvement in Regulating Marine Clocks from a Distance; and we hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a description thereof.

This invention relates to regulating from a distance that variety of clocks known as marine clocks, in which a balance-wheel and a balance or hair spring are employed; and the invention consists in the employment of means whereby the vibrating length of the balancespring can be increased and diminished from a distance, and the clock thereby be made to take afaster or a slower rate, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In effecting the regulation of such a clock, or a series of such clocks, we prefer to employ an electric current and a master-clock of the pendulum variety, which shall automatically apply such current at predetermined times, although the regulation may be governed by a master-clock of the marine class, if desired.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a rear view of a marine clock movement provided with means for turning the regulator thereof in opposite directions, and electrical appliances for bringing such means into action. Fig. 2 shows a side view of a portion of such movement and electrical appliances. Figs. 3 and 4: represent circuitclosing mechanism in the master-clock for applying the regulating-current to the marine movement at predetermined times. Fig. 5 shows the regulator with a segmental gear upon its outer end. Fig. 6 represents a modified form of means for turning the regulator in opposite directions; Fig. 7, details to be referred to.

A is a portion of the frame of the movement. B is the balance-wheel thereof, and b the balance or hair spring. 0 is the regulator,

provided with the usual pins, 0 c, which fork the springb and determine its vibrating length.

As shown in Figs. 1- and 5, the outer end of the regulator O is furnished with a se mental gear, 0, which meshes with a pinion, D. Upon the shaft (1, to which this pinion is attached, a toothed wheel, E, is secured, for turning the regulator in opposite directions. Outlying the wheel E are two pawls, F F, respectively attached to the armature-bars g g of two eleetro-magnets, G G, for operating the wheel E when said bars are moved toward their magnets. These pawls are pivoted to the bars 9 g, and their fingersff are arranged, in a wellknown manner, to trip when the pawls rise, so as not to operate the wheel E during such 6 movement. The pawls are respectively pro vided with projecting pinsf f, which occupy inclined slots in the faces of arms ff Figs. 1 and 2, and details, Fig. 7, so that as the pawls are moved downwardly their fingers will be moved inwardly into engagement with a tooth of the wheel E and turn it.

A wheel, H, of the clock, which makes-a complete revolution in, say, one minute, is provided with a spring, h, and located parallel with said wheel, and in position to be engaged by the spring h, are two stationary metal seg ments or plates, J J, which are separated at their ends and insulated from each other. The magnet G is electrically connected to the segment J by a wire, j, and the magnet G to the segment J by a wire, j. By means of wires j both of the magnets G G are connected to a spring, 7a, which is arranged with such relation to the armaturebar K of an electro-magnet,K, that when said bar is moved toward the magnet it will engage the spring. The bar K is electrically connected with the wheel H by wires j, which are connected with a local battery, L. By means of wiresZ Z the electro-magnet K is connected with the electric circuitclosing mechanism of the master-clock which is to govern the regulation of the marine move ment.

Any preferred circuit-closing mechanism may be employed in the masterclock for charging the magnet K at predetermined intervals and for a proper length of time. The

mechanism shown in Figs. 3 and at is adapted to charge said magnet once in every ten minutes and for an instant of time. M is a disk secured to the arbor of that wheel of the master-clock which revolves once in ten minutes. This disk is provided with a projecting pin, m, which comes in contact with a spring,N, once during each revolution of said wheel, and remains in contact therewith a few seconds. A disk,O,is secured to the arbor of the scapewheel, and is provided with a projecting pin, 0, which comes in contact with a spring, P, and remains in engagement therewith, say, one second. An electro-magnet, Q, is electrically connected by a wire, q, to the disk 0, the spring P is connected by a wire, 1), to the disk M, and the spring N is connected by wires n to the magnet Q, the wires n passing through a battery, R. The armature'bar Q of the magnet Q is furnished with a spring, r, insulated therefrom, and said spring is normally held out of the path of movement of the master-clock pendulum-rod S (shown in horizontal section at Fig. 4:) by a spring, q. The pendulum-rod S is provided with a metallic plate, 8, which engages the spring 7 when the latter is brought into the path of the moving pendulum-rod. The spring 7 and plate 8 are connected by the wires Z Z to the magnet K, a battery, T, being located in the line thus formed.

The current-closing mechanism herein described is also described and claimed in another application, No. 149,552, filed by us December 5, 1884, and consequently is not herein claimed.

In place of connecting the plate 8 with the wire Z, said wire may be connected to another spring secured to the bar Q, and insulated from r, and adapted to be moved with itinto the path of the swinging pendulum-rod, and if the pendulum-rod be metallic the plate 8 may be dispensed with and the rod itself close the circuit through-the wiresl Z, as will be readily understood.

The operation of the means-and mechanism hereinbefore described in regulating the clock is substantially as follows: Once in every ten minutes the pins in and 0, Fig. 3, will be in engagement with the springs N and P, respectively, and a current from the battery It will charge the magnet Q. The charging of the magnet Q will cause the spring 7' to be moved into the path of the swinging pendulum S, so that the plate 8 on the pendulum will engage said spring as the pendulum moves by it. When the plate 8 comes in contact with the spring 1, the circuit through the battery T and magnet K will be closed, thereby bringing the armature K into engagement with the spring k.

The time-distance between the adjacent ends of the segments or plates J J, Fig. 1, is, say, one second. If the clock to be regulated has kept the exact time of the master-clock, the free end of the spring h will be equidistant from the ends of said segments, as shown 'in Fig. 1, and since said spring is not in engagement with either of said segments, neither of the magnets G G will be charged from thebattery L, and the position of the regulatorOwill not be altered. If, however, the marine movement be more than half a second slow of the master-clock, then the spring h will be in contact with the segment J when the magnet K is charged by the regulating-current from the master clock, and its bar K is thereby brought into contact with the spring 70. The current from the battery L will charge the magnet G, therefore, and cause the pawl F to turn the wheel E toward the left, thereby moving that end of the regulator G which bears the pins ctoward the right. This movement of the regulator will shorten the vibrating length of the balance-spring b and cause the clock to take a faster rate. If the marine movement be more than a half-second fast of the master-clock, then the spring h will be in contact with the segment J when the regulating-current from the master-clock is applied to the magnet K. The current from the battery L will charge the magnet G, therefore, and cause the pawl F to turn the wheel E toward the right, .thereby moving the regulator-pins 0 toward the left and increasing the vvibrating length of the balance-spring, which will cause the clock to take a slower rate. It will be understood, therefore, that the marine movement can be kept within a fraction of a second of the master-clock at all times.

The means for moving the regulator O in opposite directions may be greatly varied as, for instance, in place of providing the regulator with a segmental gear, 0, and employing a pinion, D, in engagement therewith, in order that the regulator C may be moved by the wheel E, the segmental gear and pinionmay be dispensed with and the outer end of the regulator be furnished with a pin extending into a properly-shaped cam-slotin the face of the wheel E, as will be readily understood. The means shown in Fig. 6 may also be employed. In said figure the wheel E is threaded upon a screw, d, so as to turn between two IIS standards, 0 e. The screw d passes loosely through said standards, and is feathered in a standard, 6, through which it also passes loosely. The inner end of this screw is furnished with two pins, d between which the outer end of theregulatorOislocated. Pawls F F operate the wheel E in the same manner as hereinbefore described, and the screw d isadvanced and retracted, thereby moving the regulator to increase and decrease the vibrating length of the balance-spring.

Although we have described the regulatingcurrent as being automatically applied by the master-clock every ten' minutes, it is obvious that such current can be applied at shorter or longer intervals of time by properly arranging the circuit-closing mechanism of the master-clock. It is obvious, also, that the regulating-current may be applied by hand circuit-closing mechanism-such as atelegraphkey--connected to the Wires Z Z. The move ment of the bar K into engagement with the spring or device It may also be effected by pneumatic means operated by a master-clock or by hand, or mechanical means may be employed for such purpose if the clocks be not too far distant from one another.

If only a single clock is'to be regulated on any line, the magnet K and spring k may be dispensed with and the wire Z be connected with the wheel H and the wire Z with the magnets G G, as is obvious.

If clocks in series are to be regulated, each is preferablyprovided with a magnet, K, and said magnets are connected so that the regulatingcurrent from the master clock will charge them all, as will be readily understood.

Although we prefer to locate the spring or device it on the Wheel H, or on a rotating disk or arm, and to make the segments or plates J J immovable, yet the said segments may be arranged to rotate and the spring h be stationary, the proper electrical connections being made in a manner easily understood.

In place of employing two distinct armatures for the magnets G G, a single armature mounted to rock and to be operated by both magnets may be used, and the pawls F F be connected to said armature so as to work the wheel E.

The mechanism herein described for con trolling the vibrating lengths of the balancespring of a secondary clock may with slight modification be made to control the regulation of secondary clocks having pendulums, as described in our application, Serial No. 147,568, filed November 10, 1884;, or as de scribed in the application above referred to, without departing from our invention; also, the segments J J may be employed to perform the same purpose as herein set forth, in pendulum-clocks, such as described in the applications above referred to.

hat we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with the regulator of a time-piece having a balance wheel and spring, of suitable means, substantially as described, for moving the regulator in opposite directions, suitable mechanism,substantially as described,

for working the said means, and suitable means, substantially as described, for operating the said mechanism from a distance, whereby a change in the vibrating length of the balance-spring may be effected from a distant place and the time-piece be made to take a gaining or a losing rate relatively to its prior performance, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the regulating member of a time-piece, of suitable means, substantially as described, cooperating with said regulating member, whereby the timepiece may be made to take a gaining or losing rate relatively to its prior performance, suitable electrical mechanism, substantially as described, for operating the said means, and the segments or plates J J, and spring or device 71, for closing acircuit through said mechanism, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, with the regulating member of a time-piece, of suitable means, substantially as described, for moving said member in opposite directions, suitable electrical mechanism, substantially as described, for operating the said means, the segments or plates J J, and spring or device h, for closing a circuit through said mechanism, a bar, K, and a spring or device, k, normally held out of engagement with each other and adapted to be brought into contact, and suitable means, substantially as described, for bringing the bar K and device It in engagement from a distant place, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. Thecombination,with thebalance-spring of a timepiece, and a regulator for increasing and decreasing the vibrating length of said spring, of suitable means, substantially as described, for moving the regulator in opposite directions, a pair of pawls for operating said means, and suitable means, substantially as described, for working the said pawls from a distance, substantially as set forth.

. GEO. WV. MILLAED.

JOSEPH H. CLARKE. \Vitnesses:

EDsoN SALISBURY JoNEs, HENRY J STAPELTON. 

